Monthly Archives: October 2009

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By Fred J. Robledo, Staff Writer
Junior quarterback/defensive back Michael Ball, broke his collarbone when Walnut’s Aubrey Coleman pulled his face mark. It resulted in an unsportsmanlike penalty and Ball leaving the game in an ambulance. Rowland coach Craig Snyder said Ball is out at least six weeks, which means he possibly could return in time for the second or third round of the playoffs should the Raiders reach that stage. “It was a blatant cheap shot,” Snyder said of Coleman’s action. “He tackled all night going for the head. When you watch him tackle, his arms are always going above the pads.” To continue, click thread

Last Week: Steve is chipping away, making up three games over the weekend to cut my lead to seven. The big differences were that he took South Hills over West Covina, Northview over Pomona and Baldwin Park over Covina, which obviously I missed and missed badly. We both missed terribly picking Damien. I was getting text message updates from my buddy Tom and by the end of the first quarter, that game was over.This week: Not a real difficult time making these picks, if I lose more than two something’s wrong. The only real difficult games were Los Altos-Bonita, of which I took L.A., and Alemany-Bishop Amat, which of course I’m sticking with the Lancers (even though Alemany is 4-2 with a win over Crespi). I would have included Damien-Glendora in the toss-ups, but not after what Chino Hills did to the Spartans on Friday.

Talk about quotable, this is one of the best of the year from Citrus coach Ron Ponciano after receiver Matthew Cheaney couldn’t hold on to a fourth-down throw from quarterback DeQuan Everett at the Cerritos 15 with two minutes to play. Citrus lost 21-16. “I wish I could have that last one back,” Cheaney said. “That’s a play I need to make.” Said Ponciano: “The ball was right in his chest. If it were a knife, it would have killed him.”

For those who will take that too seriously, lighten up with the infamous “Baby Dance” making its rounds on YouTube.

Game of the week? There are four under consideration, Charter Oak-Diamond Ranch, Damien-Glendora, Walnut-West Covina, Alemany-Bishop Amat.Bishop Amat history?: The 6-0 start is the best this decade, can anyone tell me the last time a Lancers team started 6-0 or better?More Bishop Amat: It’s just a thought, but someone over there should start inputting stats on MaxPreps or provide some public forum for fans to access stats. If Bishop Amat can sell season seats, they can certainly provide stats for the community.Athletes of the week: Looking for nominations for boys and girls athletes of the week.

Wallace Gonzalez’s hardship transfer request to Bishop Amat was denied by CIF-Southern Section officials on Friday, ruling that Gonzalez is not eligible for any sports the remainder of the school year, including baseball. Gonzalez, a junior wide receiver, played one game for Glendora before leaving the team for reasons Tartans coach Mark Pasquarella described as “mutual.” A week later, he left the school and enrolled at Bishop Amat.

Friday’s resultsRowland 27, Walnut 7 — The Raiders’ remain perfect but it was costly. Quarterback Michael Ball left the field in an ambulance, a possible injury to his collarbone. The Raiders’ D was mighty impressive again.South Hills 27, West Covina 6 — This wasn’t even as close as the score indicated. South Hills rushed for 277 team yards with Geoffrey Vaughns going for 167 yards and two TDs. The Bulldogs only had two first downs midway through the fourth.Bishop Amat 38, St. Paul 6 – We know this isn’t one of the better St. Paul teams but still, the Lancers put them away like a Pac-5 power should.Arroyo 14, Rosemead 12 — The Panthers didn’t want to give up the Mission Valley league title without a fight, and that’s what they gave the Knights, who won’t lose an MVL game the rest of the way.Baldwin Park 28, Covina 7 — The Braves needed a statement win, and beating the Colts as thoroughly as they did makes a statement.La Puente 32, Workman 7 – Did I just type that? A week after the Warriors get hammered by Azusa, they do the hammering against a crosstown rival.Charter Oak 31, Bonita 0 — Just what you expected from the defending champs, who for all intents and purposes can wrap up league next week against Diamond Ranch.Chino Hills 38, Damien 7 – This was a step-back bigtime. The Spartans should have been able to make a better game of this with two weeks at home to prepare. Guess what, Glendora’s next.Glendora 40, Diamond Bar 19 — The Tartans rolled, and now can get ready to face Damien at Citrus College on Friday.Azusa 34, Sierra Vista 13 – Not a bad showing for the Dons, but once again, the Aztecs just too much.Los Altos 54, Wilson 17 — It was only 14-10 Los Altos at half, but the Conqs opened it up in the second half. The game ended with an ugly scene as fans piled onto the field.Gladstone 40, Duarte 14 — The Happy Rockers roll over the punchless Falcons.Gabrielino 21, El Monte 14 — Somebody had to win, right?South El Monte 35, Mountain View 6 — Did we wee the Eagles have a terrible non-league a few years back then rally to win league? Just saying.

The Scouting Guru has been all over the San Gabriel Valley and beyond, and like always, he’s offered to share his thoughts, free of charge. Don’t hate, enjoy it for what it’s worth, which is one man’s opinion on the talent and teams in the San Gabriel Valley and surrounding areas.

The Guru Says: We are officially at the halfway point in the season. Rather than give your favorite team grades and make a fool out of myself (did I say that it would take a miracle for a Bishop Amat to defeat St. Bonaventure…I meant to say that it would take St. Bonnie’s a miracle to win over Amat…yeah, right. And what is going to happen next…the Dodgers are going to sweep the Cardinals and take on Philly in the NLCS…oh wait – that happened too?…This has been some year!), I wanted to go in a different direction.

By Andrew J. Campa, Staff Writer
With seemingly all the history and present factors stacked against it, maybe it’s fitting that the St. Paul High School football team is looking for venerable coach Marijon Ancich to lead it to a victory versus archrival Bishop Amat on Friday. The visiting Lancers (5-0 overall) ride into the 7:30 p.m. contest as high as they’ve ever been this decade, two weeks removed from a stunning victory over state power St. Bonaventure, 24-23.
Bishop Amat is ranked No. 11 in the entire CIF-Southern Section by calpreps.com and is eighth in the Pac-5 Division in this week’s CIF-SS poll.

Thursday’s Results
Pomona 28, Northview 10: Pomona High School, based on the nonleague portion of its schedule, hadn’t received much respect.
The Red Devils earned a little Thursday night.
Darrian Lewis threw for 107 yards and two touchdowns and Taj Teague scored two touchdowns and Pomona opened Valle Vista League play with a 28-10 victory over Northview at Covina District Field.
Pomona, also getting 69 yards rushing and a touchdown from Jamal Overton, improved to 5-1. Northview, which received 122 yards rushing from Kameron Germany, slipped to 1-5.Pomona coach John Brown: “We just played the schedule they gave us. I took over, there was a schedule there and we played it. People are going to bash it, but the truth to it is, 4-1 is 4-1. No matter which way you put it. We’re a 4-1 team and that’s what we are. Now we’re 5-1.”Northview coach Jim Arellanes: They hit us with some big plays. We just couldn’t execute, and make things happen. It’s kind of been the story of our season.”

San Dimas 63, Ganesha 0: Sophomore quarterback Shawn Kennedy completed 6 of 8 passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns, including a 63-yarder to Dillon Corona that began a 28-point second-quarter flurry and the Saints rolled to a 42-0 half-time edge. San Dimas compiled 387 yards, 242 in the first to improve to 5-1 in its Valle Vista League opener.San Dimas coach Bill Zernickow: “Obviously our intensity needs to increase next week. But we got some good experience tonight. Our young guys all got to play and we’re hoping that will pay off for us in the future.”Ganesha coach Dave Flemming: “We’ve taken a few steps back. We lost some key seniors from last year but give these kids credit. They tried hard. We’re looking forward to getting into that new league next year.”

By Pete Marshall, Bulletin: The Sierra League football season last year was quite a race, with Chino Hills, Ayala and Glendora finishing in a three-way tie for the top. These are the same three expected to battle for the top spot this year. As league play opens this week, perhaps a fourth team could battle for the league crown, too.
“I don’t care that their record is 1-4,” Ayala coach Tom Inglima said. “They look very good.” That 1-4 team is Damien, which has played one of the toughest nonleague schedules around. Damien’s nonleague opponents are a combined 22-4 this season, and the Spartans lost their past two games to La Puente Bishop Amat and Covina Charter Oak by a combined 12 points. To continue reading, click thread

Los Altos High School football coach Felipe Aguilar and first-year Wilson coach Brian Zavala want to make sure the annual rivalry game – when the two schools compete for “The Wheel” – doesn’t end after this season. The CIF-Southern Section Council is expected to cast its final vote on Oct. 22 to decide the Mt. SAC area league realignment for the 2010-14 seasons, with Wilson expected to move to the Valle Vista League while Los Altos remains in the Miramonte League. The schools haven’t always been in the same league, but they have met annually since 1969, with Los Altos owning a 31-11-1 record, which includes playoff encounters. To continue reading, click thread

Once again, a local coach has stepped up and offered to help give insight to what’s going on in cross country. This comes from Glendora assistant coach Bob RamseySaid Ramsey: Last weeks major was the San Gabriel Valley 1 v 1 Championships, where many local teams made their Mt. SAC debut. The St. Lucy’s girls won the team title, while South El Monte’s Jayson Perez and Bonita’s frosh pair, Lexie Jackson and Marissa Scott were the top individuals, as the girls were in the Miramonte League race earlier in the week. Full coverage of these meets is below.
Also on Saturday, Rosemead traveled to the statewide Clovis Invitational, run over the same 5k course that hosts the State Championships. Seniors Brittnie Munoz and Elizabeth Lyons led the Panthers to a high finish in their race, while Christopher Le was the team’s top boy. To Continue Reading, click thread

Correspondent John Honell is a longtime contributor to the Tribune, and well-known throughout the San Gabriel Valley. He knows the area’s history, coaches, and always seems to have insider information. He will share some of it with his “Touching Base” pieces that will run from time to time.

Back at the plate
Just returned from “A taste of St. Louis.” That is an annual street event staged by downtown restaurants with the Arch in the background. Good, cheap ($2 for an appetizer sized sample) food is something I’ve never been able to pass up. Former Diamond Bar star, Jim Edmonds has a steak house in St. Louis called, remarkably “Jim Edmonds Steakhouse.” He has been traded to the Cubs (much hated in St. Louis) but his steakhouse serves a super horseradish Bar-B-Q sauce. Even though the Cubs – Cardinals rivalry is longer and more intense than the Dodgers – Giants, Edmonds received a standing ovation on his first trip back. (I used to think the Angels would have been better off getting rid of Tim Salmon and kept Edmonds. The Angels were right and,
once again, I was wrong. To touch all the bases, click thread

1. St. Lucy’s (12-3)
2. Walnut (11-3)
3. South Hills (6-4)
4. Bonita (7-5)
5. Glendora (5-2)
6. Los Altos (9-4)
7. Ganesha (13-3)
8. San Dimas (8-3)
9. Gladstone (17-5)
10. Bishop Amat (10-3)Notes: Normally, I don’t like leap-frogging a team when the team above has done everything asked of them, like Walnut did last week, sweeping two opponents. But it was just too hard to ignore what St. Lucy’s did last week. The Regents not only swept two opponents, but did it against two of the better teams in the Sierra League in Chino Hills and Glendora, and the Tartans also were our No. 1 team the past few weeks. St. Lucy’s now has defeated two teams ranked our top five its past two matches. It does set up a monster match on Thursday between Nos. 2 and 3 at South Hills. The two teams have split their last four matches, including the past two going five games. Thursday should be no different. Glendora dropped down four slots to No. 4, but when they get swept and the teams ahead of them all swept opponents, including Bonita winning in three against ranked Los Altos, it was explainable. Tonight we have a big non-league match between Los Altos and South Hills. But I will be at the big Montview League showdown between defending champion La Puente and preseason favorite Gladstone. Both teams are 4-0 in league play.

TUESDAY’S RESULTS
La Puente def. Gladstone, 25-14, 25-18, 20-25, 25-14 - The Warriors won their 20th consecutive Montview League match to take over the league title chase, improving to 8-10 and 5-0. Gladstone, ranked No. 5 in CIF-SS Division 4-A, slipped to 17-6, 4-1. Rocio Armendariz had 14 kills and Elisa Valenzuela had eight for La Puente. Marissa Flores led Gladstone with nine kills.La Puente coach Daniel Krawiec: “It’s exciting beating Gladstone. The girls were nervous before the (match), but once it started we got into rhythm. This was the best we played all year.”Gladstone coach Jeff Divine: “We were out of sync. One of our problems has been hitting errors, but lately we’ve been overcoming that.
“La Puente had a good defense, but our setting was inconsistent. The hitters were trying to things they couldn’t normally do.”

The CIF-state appeals board ruled against South Hills’ Jordan and Jamie Canada, who have not played football for the Huskies, and who will likely sit out the remainder of the season unless a family attorney files an injunction through the state courts and is successful, which is considered a longshot. The brothers were hoping the state appeals board would overturn the CIF-Southern Section’s decision to declare them ineligible after transferring from Duarte High School to South Hills. The Canada’s mother, Gala Canada, moved with her sons to the South Hills high school district over the summer and filed a “change of address” request through the school in hopes of her sons becoming eligible.
However, that request was denied by CIF after Duarte officials filed paperwork with the CIF-SS offices claiming the Canada’s left to South Hills for “athletically motivated,” reasons.

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